Rubber Plantations

The rubber tree is originally from the Amazon forest but now spread over all tropical forest regions. Rubber plantations are increasingly large-scale, intensively-managed and even-aged plantations, for industrial purposes especially tires for the automotive industry. However, the plantations can also be managed by communities in small areas or mixed with other trees in forested areas, common in the Amazon. Plantations are about 10 million hectares worldwide (2010), and concentrated in Asia.

Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL), a palm oil company, holds hundreds of thousands hectares of land as an agricultural concession. GVL is now pushing to permit logging for export in its concession. International environmentalists are calling...

Only available in French
By Franck Ndijimbi.
The NGO Brainforest, in collaboration with FERN and WRM, has conducted this study on the impacts of the expansion of oil palm and rubber tree plantations in Gabon. Tropical rainforests cover 85%...

After many years of supporting local struggles and disseminating information from different countries on tree monocultures and its impacts, WRM presents a new report to all those involved in these struggle (1). No better time than the...

Eucalyptus, oil palm, rubber and jatropha monoculture plantations are expanding onto local communities’ lands and forests in the Mekong region’s countries. Promoted under the guise of development, poverty alleviation and even climate...

Oil palm and rubber plantations are very similar in many respects, but there is something that clearly differentiates them: oil palm is a native species in many West African countries –and part of the culture of local peoples- while...

The following Statement was issued on 24/11/05 in Vitoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil at an international meeting on building support for local communities against large-scale tree plantations and GMO trees. This meeting was co-sponsored by...

A study from Agroforestry World has shown that while China has increased the amount of tree cover with a reforestation and ‘payment for ecosystem services’ program, it has failed to protect natural forests. Rubber and pulpwood...

ACTION ALERT – GABON
As many countries in Africa, Gabon is facing an alarming rate of expansion of oil palm and rubber plantations. The government has given the Singapore based company Olam 300,000 hectares of land to establish...

By Ms Sayamol Kaiyoorawong and Ms Bandita Yangdee – Project for Ecological Awareness Building
This article examines whether rubber farmers in Thailand are going to have a bright future, in terms of their economic, social,...

by Andrew Cock.
In “Plantations are not Forests. Commercial Tree Plantations in the Mekong Region”.Vol. 9 No. 3 March – June 2004. Published by Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance (TERRA)
Obsolete concepts...

By the World Rainforest Movement and Forest and Biodiversity Program of Friends of the Earth International
Screenplay: Flavio Pazos
Script: WRM International Secretariat Team
Voices: Cecilia Carrère, Ana Filippini, Raquel Nuñez, Teresa...